John a



J. 'A. WAY.

' Axle Washer.

Patented July 28,1868.

N. PETERS. Prmo-mm n hur, W

JOHN A. WAY, BRISTOL CONNEGTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE DARROW MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE. I

Letters Patent No. 80,435, dated July 28, 1868.

IMPROVED WASHER.

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roAhL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. WAY, of Bristol, in the county ofHarti'ord, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and improved Washer; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accom- 'panying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of one style of my inventiom.

Figure 2 is afront elevation of another style of the same.

Figure? is a side elevation of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. I

My invention consists in the use. or employment of raw hide inv the manufacture of carriage-washers.

To make these washers, I make a set of round dies, similar to those generally used for cutting metal, and.

vvarying in size by sixteenth's, from the inside diameter'of the smallest to the outside diameter of the largest washer intended to be cut, and punches to match or fit each die. i

In the centre of every punch (except perhaps a few of the smallest) I make a small hole, and-thread the same to fit a screw'of suitable construction. I then make what I term false centres, which centres are round and tapered, and the diameter of the largest end nearly equal (but a trifle smaller) to thodiameter of each-die, (except perhaps a few of the largest.) 'Each of the false centres is provided with a hole at the centre, t0 receive the body and head of the screw before mentioned, threaded to match the threaded hole in the centre of the punches. With this screw I can attach any one of the .false centres to any one of the punches.

The diameters of'the dies now in use for this work will, when completed, varyin size, by sixteenths, from three-quarters of an inch to three inches, and perhaps exceed.- that.

With thcse thirty-six dies, hundreds of difi'crent-sized washers can he made. lior'instance,-suppose I make the outside diameter the size of the largest orthree-inc'h die, and the inside diameters with the remaining thirtyfive (lies, and we have thirty-five sizes, nd vice verse, and we have thirty-five more. i

If I desire to make washers varying in size, from inside to outside, by onequarterinch,'from three-quarter inch inside to three inches outside, I-would take strips of hide, of suitable thickness, and about six inches in width, and press or cut, with thethree-quarte'r inch die, two rows of holes, which holes should be such distance from each-other, and from the edges of the hide, that a thr'ee-inchcircle described around the centre of each hole, the circles will notrun into each other or beyond the edges of th'e hide- I gaug th hid to get this distance with gauges the same asthose used for gau'ging metal topress it.

After having pressed-a suitable number of the strips with the three-quarter inch die. and punch, Ipiace the threei-qnarter inch false centre on the one-inch punch, andset the sanie in the press; then, as (or before) the punch descends, I enter the smallend of the false centre into the three-quarter hole in the hide, and, as the punch further descends, the base of the false centre fillsth'e hole, causes it to'be in the centre of the die as the outside of the smallest washer is pressed, and-at the same time the inside of the next washer. Q I then place the one-inch false centre on the one-andea-quarter inch punch, and proceed in like manner, until the three-inch washers are pressed or out; For'pulling the hide from the punches, Time a take-oil or picker, similar to those in ordinary use.

i A centre 'on a punch is no new thing, but they are'generally solid or secured rigidly, and'not to be adjusted to different punches.

, At first trial of pressing or cutting out these washers, the slug or first inside was out without difliculty, but

when the outside of the washer was cut, many of them would turn dishing or funnel-shaped, while a few would be level.

To avoid this trouble I hollowedthe end of Ithcpun'ches, but thisonly increased the trouble. I tried-sevoral other experiments without any better results. I finally overcame the trouble by finishingjhe cutting of the washer with the flesh side u'p,- when generally all the washers would be level, butif cut from the same stock with the grain side up, the majority of them would be dishing.

The first hole. or inside of the washer can be pressed either side up,.but to be safe, the outside should be finished fleshed side up, although in some hides it may not be absolutely necessary. The greater the difi'erence of the diameters, from outside to inside, the less liable is thewasher to turn. l

Itis not necessary, for. making a few washers of a particular size, to have the dies vary-in size and numher, as described, but it will be a matter .of great convehience, where all sizes are intended to be made- Neither is it necessary to cut one washer from the inside of another, but it is a great saving of time and stock. After the washers are made, I sometimes cut away a portion of the same at a, for the purposeof reduoing the size. Even one-third ofthe washer might be cut away, if desired, and then the washer compressed and crowded into the recess in the axle-nut, or the back end of the-box or "pipe of a carriage, when it (the washer) would have a tendency to spring open, and its edges would crowd against the rims of said recesses.

This cutting away, when desired, can be done by the consumer with a common pocket-knife. Wooden washers have been made and left open, but it was the cut made by cutting the washers from a helix of wood, and not taking a solid piece from a whole or solid washer. v

My invention is not merely concerning the idea of using raw hide in the manufacture of washers. If such were the case, the mere mentidn of it to a maker of. leather washers would enable him to make raw-hideones with the same tools and by the same process used for leather ones. But such cannot be done to any extent. Leather ones (excepting shoddy leather) are cut out by knives set in a proper tool, so as to describe a circle. Raw hideis so solid and firm that the knives. thus arranged cut very slow at best, and soon break or heat, and refuse to work. Thus it has been necessary for me to invent the process for making them.

Leather, in tanning, swells to nearly twice its original thickness, and will, by use, (when saturated by- .the oil from the axles,) compress back tonearly its original thickness, and thus allow the wheel to play'endways and rattle.

Raw hide is in its natural thickness and firmncss, and becomes but very little softened, if any, by oil, and consequently compresses but little. g

Persons at first sight of these washers suppose they are too thin, but by use they are found to fill as much space as leather ones, which are apparently nearly twice their thickness.

By my inventionl produce an article for carriage-washers, whereby, with a few sizes, a blacksmith, wagonmaker, or other person, can be able to fit any carriage or like vehicle, when, with the ordinary washer, he must cutex'pressly for each vehicle, or keep hundreds-of sizes on hand.

If leather washers were cut to be fitted to diflerent vehicles in like manner, the oil from the axle would soon soften them, when they-would not stay in their place, and thus become useless.

Leather, being tanned, greatly exceeds in'cost the price of raw hide, and the scrap is nearly useless, while raw-hide scrap is worth half its first cost. Thus raw-hide washers can be madcat a small cost.

In very light vehiclesit is often desirable to usewashers with avery narrow surface, when leather ones will last but a'few weeks, whereas raw-hide ones, with the same surface, will last for months.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- As a new article of manufacture, an axle-washer, made of raw hide, substantially as described.

JOHN A. WAY.

Witnesses:

Janus SHEPARD, F. E. Dannow. 

